Executive Function Strategies Blog

As an adult, you may think that being a fourth-grader is the easiest life around — no bills to pay, no worries about your career, no responsibilities other than some homework and a couple simple household chores. But can you imagine being a fourth grader whose everyday world of school and home feels overwhelming because they lack the Executive Function skills needed to keep focused, manage their time, and stay organized? Consider the stress that’s a daily part of the life of a fourth grade student with Executive Function challenges in these three typical scenarios - and see some solutions that Executive Function coaches use to support students who are struggling.

As Executive Function coaches, parents frequently ask us what skills are typical for students to have mastered by a certain age. The answer is often complex, as each child is unique — a child's learning profile, developmental history, environment, and life experiences all interact to influence how and when Executive Function skills emerge and solidify. We've created this handy infographic below to help parents get a sense of the types of Executive Function skills that are typically emerging for most students as they move through school and into adulthood.

Summer is a great time for sitting on the beach, splashing in the pool, backyard barbecues, and you guessed it: developing Executive Function skills. This time of year, we hear a lot of parents worry that summer won’t be a productive time to learn (or continue to build) these important foundational skills.

When does a minor problem become a major problem? Sometimes the tipping point is just out of view, but it creeps up over time.

In 2013, my primary care doctor came into the room and said to me, “You’ve gained six pounds since you were last here.” Yup. That sounded about right. Seeing as I’m not a scale-watching fanatic, the comment didn’t really affect me. But that wasn’t the end of the discussion. “Six pounds isn’t a problem,” she carefully explained, “unless it’s another six next year and another six the year after that.”